By: Sara Bertoncelj / Nova24TV.si
After the strike of the coordination of journalists’ unions of RTV Slovenia was supported by the Slovenian Police Union, KSJS president Branimir Štrukelj, and some others, the Association of Fighters for the Values of the National Liberation War of Slovenia (ZZB NOB) joined the support today. The association expects the new government to improve the situation in the institution in favour of the public interest in information and independent and professional work of journalists, reported STA. In their opinion, the fact that the fundamental right to free and critical reporting is not the domain of all journalists, was clearly shown from the attack on Dr Jože Možina – he was accused, among other things, of falsifying history. At that time, the ZZB NOB also expressed the hope that voters would entrust the management of functions to people who would stop the conversion and falsification of national history and the spread of lies and hatred.
For some time now, the association has been following the situation on RTVS with concern, which, in their words, “sinks into a similar sad story that has already been experienced by the Slovenian Press Agency”. In this regard, it supports all journalists and journalists’ unions who are fighting for the fundamental right to report on the state of society freely and critically. According to it, the autonomy of journalistic work is necessary for such work, as objective reporting is in the interest of the people and not the state as an institution. At the same time, the fighters expect that a social dialogue will be established as soon as possible, which will contribute to the better working conditions of RTVS employees through negotiations and at the same time break the direct influence of politics on editorial decisions at RTVS. Which is downright bizarre, as they want to politically prevent some journalists and shows.
“Based on the current situation in RTV Slovenia, the Association of Fighters expects the new Slovenian government to improve the situation in favour of the public interest of the community in information and independent and professional work of journalists. In today’s situation, RTV is a mirror of the outgoing government and this undemocratic practice of suppressing media freedom in Slovenia, as a member state of the European Union, must stop,” said President Marijan Križman in a press release. While the Association of Fighters for the Values of the National Liberation War of Slovenia is “fighting” for journalists, it should be remembered that in the past they also attacked some journalists.
For representatives of the communist guerrilla, media pluralism is not an option
So, for example, not long ago they turned on the journalist and historian Dr Jože Možina, saying that in his Utrip show there was “an outrageous falsification of history, humiliation of partisans, and insulting the victims of Nazism and fascism.” They also wrote that the new “truths about Dražgoše” can be published without any journalistic or historical criteria, and they can be given by anyone – although they believe that the statement is not based on any historical fact.